Posts Tagged by highway of heroes
Father calls for Canada to finish mission
| 5/15/2010 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan, Canadian News, Canadian Politics |
Just two days away from returning safely home, Pvt. Kevin McKay was on patrol in Afghanistan on Thursday. In an instant his life ended. Instead of returning home to a party, he will be returned to his family for a funeral. He is the 144th Canadian to die on this mission.
The father of this brave young Canadian has looked past his own grief to call on our government to stay the course in Afghanistan. He’s calling on the government not to set an end date but to set obtainable objectives and stay until they’re finished. He’s calling for the objective to be the training of the Afghan army and police.
Pvt McKay’s father is a deputy fire chief in Toronto. Firefighters in Toronto and along the Highway Of Heroes all understand the cost of this war, they have been a strong presence on every overpass between Trenton and Toronto every time Canadian soldiers are repatriated. I understand the cost of this war. I weep privately for our fallen and then join the firefighters on the bridges. (more…)
Has Obama Taken a Lesson From Canada?
| 10/29/2009 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan |
President Obama appeared at Dover Air Force base last night as the Americans killed in Afghanistan this week were returned home. He took part in what the Americans call a “dignified transfer” which took place around 4am. He also met with the familes of the fallen heroes. So how is that a lession from Canada?
President Obama is the American forces Commander-in-Chief, almost all of our fallen have been met by the forces Commander-in-Chief, our Governor General. Most often also in attendance is the Chief of Defense Staff, the Minister of Defense and at times, the Prime Minister. Bush never appeared for the return of those fallen heroes of the wars he started.
Those young men and women were okay to go and serve their country and fight wars that were not of their making but for some reason, Bush didn’t feel any need to make sure they were returned as the heroes they were. Maybe now, Obama will consider making the honouring of those soldiers a bit more public and stop fearing any political overtones from giving them the honours they deserve. (more…)
Canadian Soldiers Are Both Warriors and Peacekeepers
| 4/14/2009 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan, Brave Canadians |
The godfather of Canada’s latest fallen hero seems to feel that his goddaughter died for nothing. He believes that Canada’s military should return to its “peacekeeping roots”. Canada’s roots are not in peacekeeping any more than his roots are English instead of French.
In the next few days the remains of Trooper Blais will land at CFB Trenton and like all those who arrived before her, she and her family will travel the Highway of Heroes. On one of those bridges I’ll be standing in my place as a Legion officer to the left of the Canadian flag flying in her honour, saluting her service and sacrifice. I’m assuming her godfather, Mario Blais, will be in one of the vehicles passing under us.
I’d like opportunity to sit down with him and have a quiet talk about the legacy that his goddaughter signed up to. I’d like to talk to him about how his claim (and he’s not the only one to do this) that Canada’s roots are in peacekeeping diminishes the memory of those warriors Karine followed in the footsteps of. I’d like to talk to him about how even peacekeeping missions were not without danger and death, in fact at times the danger was even more while our soldiers were denied access to weaponry to protect themselves. (more…)
Let Them Not Die in Vain
| 3/5/2009 | Posted by Patti under Canadian News |
Tomorrow, at about 2pm, a plane carrying the remains of three fallen Canadians will touch down in Trenton, ON. They were killed in Afghanistan late Tuesday by a roadside bomb as they returned from dismantling another roadside bomb. With great ceremony and dignity the caskets will be borne to waiting hearsts and family watched from a respectful distance by the press and the public.
A motorcade will form, containing the hearses, the families, military escorts and eventually police. The motorcade will travel the portion of Canada’s busiest highway known as the Highway of Heroes where Canadians will turn out on bridges along the route to show their respects to these brave men who went to this far off land in the belief they could make a difference.
Last week during an interview on CNN Stephen Harper, as he is so want to pontificate, pronounced the Afghanistan war unwinnable. On the face of that statement, it must have really left ours and other troops wondering just what the hell they are doing there. Part of the problem is that Harper was so busy trying to be a big man on stage that he didn’t give much thought to what he had to say.
If the definition of “winning” is based on the terms of a conventional war, he’s right. Afghanistan, like Iraq, are not conventional wars. They are wars against an enemy that is rather loosely definied and clearly not organized enough to fight in conventional terms. Unconventional wars aka insurgencies demand a different definition of ‘winning’. (more…)
Canadian Heroes to Be Honoured Friday
| 2/11/2009 | Posted by Patti under Afghanistan, Brave Canadians |
Today’s post was originally going to be about the improvement the Liberals under Michael Ignatieff are enjoying in the public opinion polls. I’m happy to see that change but another item caught my attention. Without those who are part of this item and those who went before them, we would not have the democracy we have. Our opinions as citizens wouldn’t really matter.
I live on a section of the Trans Canada Highway 401 which has been officially renamed “the Highway of Heroes”. It is the section of highway stretching from Trenton (20 minutes east of me) to Toronto (90 minutes west of me) which every Canadian killed in service to Canada in Afghanistan has travelled with their families. It is along this stretch that thousands of Canadians turn out in the frigid cold of January, the searing heat of July and all the weather in between to salute our fallen Canadian and express our collective pain at their loss.
During the last year, I’ve been part of saluting two of those who are going to be among those receiving military decorations from the Governor-General (the Canadian Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces) at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. There will be 48 receiving decorations for valour and service to this country. They are among the thousands of Canadian service personnel who leave their families to serve Canada here and abroad. (more…)
Follow Me!